克朗内勃朗

Amateur plumber Cluny Brown gets sent off by her uncle to work as a servant at an English country estate. While there, she becomes friendly with Adam Belinski, a charming Czech refugee. She also becomes interested in a dull shopkeeper named Mr. Wilson. Belinski soon falls in love with Cluny and tries to keep her from marrying Wilson. 　　 　　--------------- 　　 　　Lubitsch's last masterpiece sends up the Brits with their stiff upper lips and rigid class systems. Observation is as crisp as a toasted crumpet, and the jokes as tasteful as Earl Grey. Suave Boyer and dotty Jones play a Czech refugee with a habit of quoting Shakespeare and a parlour maid with a plumbing fetish. Their intrusion into an English manor house ruffles a few starchy shirts and causes a storm in bone china. Seasoned British actors provide perfect foil as chinless wonders who, on the brink of WWII, think the most heroic method of fighting Hitler is to "write a letter to The Times." 　　 　　在這部遺作，劉別謙筆觸修成了正果。孤女要步叔父後塵當水管工，卻跟英國這個講究階級與男女有別的社會格格不入。逃出納粹魔掌的波蘭詩人，像找到同道中人般發現了她，但她這時卻跑去當女傭，還打算像正常人一樣嫁入尋常紳士家。來了美國二十多年，劉別謙才將自身處境總結起來。片中上至貴族下至僕人儘管嘴臉可笑，但不致面目可憎，反而都有幾許人性的落墨，也許這才是劉別謙筆觸的最高境界。更厲害的是，這些筆觸彷彿都融會在兩個主角身上，不經意間能跟觀眾心靈互通。今天回看，這是他最歐洲化的作品，近親不就是雷諾亞。 　　 　　Source: 28th HKIFF